System and method employing portable cards to send data between systems

• US 20030136830A1
• Filed: 09/24/2001
• Published: 07/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Corey C. Snook, Eleanor B. Maxwell, Ken R. Powell, Kevin W. Hartley, Thomas M. Hintz
• Original Assignee: Corey C. Snook, Eleanor B. Maxwell, Ken R. Powell, Kevin W. Hartley, Thomas M. Hintz
• Inventors: Hintz, Thomas M., Powell, Ken R., Hartley, Kevin W., Snook, Corey C., Maxwell, Eleanor B.
• Application Number:
  US09/960,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20030136830A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/381
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/00 Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

A system and method employing portable cards, carried by consumers, to send data between system.

Claims

1. A method for a system including a card transported by a first person, the method comprising:

writing a first signal to the card;

reading the first signal from the card;

reading a second signal from the card; and

sending the first signal to a location specified by the second signal.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein sending includes sending the first signal over a wide area communication link.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second signal includes an IP destination address.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the second signal includes a TCP destination port number.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the second signal includes an IP destination address and a TCP destination port number.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the second signal includes a Universal Resource Locator.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the system includes a first system and a second system, the first signal corresponds to a condition of the first system, and the reading steps are performed by the second system.

8. The method of claim 7 further including the step, performed by the first system, of writing the second signal to the card.